Thanks a million, folks. It was a special trip, if I can replicate this kind of luck (even half of it) again I would be a happy man...

Day 6: Nossob

So cheetah #2 started approaching as #1 crossed the road behind me.

This one also crossed the road behind me and the 2 sat and gazed over the Nossob for a potential meal...

They couldn't spot anything from this vantage point, and started moving on...

There were a few vehicles behind me now, so I decided to use this opportunity to push on and remain clear of their dust...

The rest of the road to Bedinkt didn't deliver much.I stopped at Bedinkt and sat a while, waiting to see if the local lion pride would be around for a drink.

A lone Black-backed Jackal approached. Its coat looked very mangy and it seemed in poor condition...most of the jackals we saw on this trip looked mangy and sick...not sure why...

The guy next to me at the waterhole told me about a large male lion he'd found next to the road between Kwang and Bedinkt (he left the cheetahs earlier than I did)...

There were some Springbok and Gemsbok mulling around. They seemed restless - so we waited a bit.Apparently there was a fierce fight between lions and hyenas not a week ago here, you could spot the carcass in the distance...

After a while I decided to turn around and head back.Perhaps the male lion would show himself again??

So as I said, I turned back......and was I glad I did......check out the sight that awaited me next to the road at Kwang...

This guy was seriously the most beautiful male lion in the best condition that I have ever seen anywhere in South Africa...

When I arrived he was actually roaring his heart out...and I had to maneuver the vehicle around to get a better shooting angle on him.

"What are YOU looking at, punk??" (check the expression here)

Some grooming of the king...

I spent about 15 minutes with him - one other vehicle present before he got up and walked across the road and into the thick foliage/shrubs opposite the Kwang turnoff...roaring all the way as he walked. This must've been the male that the other tourists had found that morning that I had just missed. He was finishing off his patrols...

So we had a brunch, a swim and a rest that afternoon, and at about 4pm we set out for an afternoon drive...heading north again (I hoped the lion would still be about).

Guess what we found????....

Yep - CHEETAHS...not even 1km north of Nossob, the same 2 males I found in the morning, lazing under a tree in the riverbed...

We decided to wait around a bit. There was a lone springbok a little further south, which seemed to pique their interest

But...I could see/feel the wind direction wasn't right, and the springbok was standing looking in their direction, no doubt aware of their presence. The other tourists at the sighting moved and went to park with the springbok, no doubt wanting to see a chase and possibly a kill. I stayed with the cheetahs. I made the right call...after a while they got up, and started moving north!

I moved forward and tried to anticipate what they would do. It seemed that something on the dune behind the road had caught their attention, perhaps a Steenbok...

The older one was leading the approach...

I maneuvered the SUV to be right in the spot where he would come marching up the bank of the river/road.

And then he shot forward, past the nose of our car, and across the road into the shrubbery of the dune.

The other one paused momentarily...

And then followed.We lost them then, I patrolled the stretch of road up-and-down but they didn't come down again.

I was stoked though - Cheetah Fest was an unbelievable trip thus far...

There was still some light left so I went south to see if something would show up at Marie-se-draai...

So that afternoon I drove out alone again. SO wanted to stay in camp with LO who's temperature was heating up again. We decided to consider skipping the next night in TR and driving straight home...

Some Bee-Eaters to start things off...

Close to Dalkeith I linked up with the lioness who was now on the move. I spent the next 40 minutes on my own with her as she moved up into the dunes to where her cubs were stashed. I got no real keepers in terms of photos but it was great to amble next to her with my windows open for about 3km in the road.

Here she's next to the passenger window before she walked into the road and next to my side of the car...

I could see the cubs come from the bush to meet her and to suckle, but it was far and I got no photos.

When she laid down, she was out of sight and with her kids...

Jan van Wyk and family would have an amazing sighting just the next week as she introduced the cubs to the pride!

I turned back after a while, and saw that a young male lion had come down to have a nap at Craig Lockhart.He was being pretty useless...so I didn't stay long with him.

On the way back I came across some young Black-backed Jackal pups...

Back at camp, we had our final braai for the trip... During the night, LO's fever spiked again, so it was certain that we would head home the next day. First I had to have my tyre replaced in TR...the Sanparks guys did a great job to get me an almost-new tyre of the same tread up from Upington as I didn't want to hit the long road with the Marie Biscuit I had on for the past 4 days

We got back to Twee Rivieren, got my new tyre fitted (a big THANKS to all the staff that helped make this happen - taking my blown tyre to Upington, having the new tyre fitted to the rim, having it brought back and having it fitted at TR )

We drove home - a long drive - and took LO to the emergency doctor...she had tonsilitis. Within a day of treatment she was fine.

Thanks to everyone who followed along on Cheetah Fest 2011. I hope you enjoyed it!

Watch this space as I am now only behind on 2 more TRs:KTP Feb 2012KTP Nov 2012Some interesting sightings to come!!